In offices across the country, clothing styles are getting a seasonal alteration, too. Sometimes that's OK. Other times, it can be a disaster.

Anyone who has worked in close proximity to different kinds of people in an office environment probably has a story or two about professional "wardrobe malfunctions" — or at least bad clothing judgment.

With some exceptions, the print journalists with whom I worked during my newspaper career were generally dressed appropriately, if not in the latest fashions. (You can't afford haute couture on a reporter's salary.) This means that you would expect to see sports reporters who were covering games wearing blue jeans and baseball caps, but courts reporters would wear their best business attire.

I was especially impressed by photographers I knew who seemed to be ready for any fashion emergency. Since they often wouldn't know what kind of assignment they would be shooting when they showed up to the office each day, they would have several clothing selections in the trunks of their cars — everything from a white shirt and tie for assignments with church officials to grubby clothes for tromping through outdoor crime scenes or the aftermath of fires and other destruction.

That's not to say we never saw inappropriate clothing choices in the newsroom. I can think of a few specific instances that left me scratching my head wondering, "What was he (or she) thinking when he (or she) got dressed this morning?"

Frankly, there were probably a few times when my fellow reporters and editors wondered that about me.

However, my business casual attire — sometimes including a tie, but thankfully tie-free since I started my new job — has always been good enough to keep me from getting too much unwanted attention.

The question is: Has it ever kept me from getting a promotion?

I don't think it has, but a recent survey led me to question that belief.

According to an OfficeTeam survey, when asked the extent to which someone's style of dress at work affects his or her chances of being promoted, 8 percent of executives said "significantly," and 72 percent said "somewhat." The remaining 20 percent said "not at all."

An independent research firm conducted the survey for OfficeTeam, a staffing service for administrative professionals, by completing telephone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees.

"The good news for the wardrobe-challenged is that proper attire may carry less weight than it did six years ago: 93 percent of executives surveyed in 2007 tied professional wear to advancement prospects," the OfficeTeam press release about the survey said. "Among those respondents, 33 percent said clothing significantly affects a person's chances of moving up the ladder, versus just 8 percent who feel this way today."

That's interesting, and some would point to the change in numbers as yet another indication that our society is growing entirely too casual. I don't agree, but that's mainly because I reallydislike wearing neckties.

Anyway, the part of the survey I found more fascinating was what managers said when they were asked to recall the strangest outfits they had heard of or seen someone wearing to work, not in observance of Halloween.

Would you believe that answers included "a dinosaur costume," "a chicken suit," "a spacesuit," "a wolf mask" and "parachute pants"? (I guess that last one would be OK if you were working with MC Hammer.)

Popular Comments

Not only can it influence whether you get a promotion, it influences with whom
people do business. I'm much more inclined to go to a place of business in
which the employees have enough respect for me to dress appropriately. I
especially
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Greg Kratz is an independent business columnist for DeseretNews.com and the Deseret News. Previously he was the Managing Editor of the paper's website. Prior to joining Deseret Digital Media, Greg was the assignment editor more ..